Is lab grown meet kosher? TB Sanhedrin 59

Today’s daf TB Sanhedrin 59 teaches that Adam was a vegetarian. “Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Meat was not permitted to Adam, the first man, for consumption, as it is written: “And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb that brings forth seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree that gives forth seed; for you it shall be for food, and for every animal of the earth, and for every fowl of the air, and for everything that creeps upon the earth, in which there is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so” (Genesis 1:29–30). It is derived God told Adam: Eating vegetation is permitted to people and animals, but eating the animals of the earth is not permitted to you.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Only after the flood did God give Noah and his descendants permission to eat meat as a divine concession. “But when the children of Noah came, God permitted them to eat meat; as it is stated: “Every moving thing that lives shall be for food for you; as the green herb I have given you all” (Genesis 9:3). One might have thought that accordingly, even the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal does not apply to the descendants of Noah; therefore the verse states: “Only flesh with its life, which is its blood, you shall not eat” (Genesis 9:4). One might have thought that the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal applies even to creeping animals; therefore the verse states “only,” a term used for exclusion, indicating that creeping animals are not included.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Judaism has always considered vegetarianism as the ideal. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first chief rabbi of Israel, was a vegetarian. I think we all recognize the value and importance in consuming less red meat and more vegetables and fruits. The health benefits for consuming less meat for us and for our planet ecologically speaking are undeniable.

Today’s daf also opens up the door to study whether “meat” grown in a lab is considered meat and kosher. Lab grown meat is exorbitantly expensive and not economically practical for the consumer. Consequently, this discussion is only in the beginning stages and is only academic in nature.

 The story begins with heavenly meat.

“The Gemara asks: Is there such a thing as meat that descends from heaven? The Gemara answers: Yes, it is like this incident: As Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta was walking along the way, he encountered those lions that were roaring at him, intending to eat him. He said: “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God” (Psalms 104:21), and they deserve to receive food. Two thighs of an animal descended from heaven for him. The lions ate one of these thighs, and they left the other one. He took it and entered the study hall, and inquired about it: Is this thigh a kosher item or a non-kosher item? The Sages said to him: Certainly it is kosher, as a non-kosher item does not descend from heaven.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rabbi Yehudah Shurpin writes about some of the halalkhic considerations when determining the status of lab grown meat.

Test-Tube Beef

So far we have discussed “miracle meat” that came from heaven or was created by spiritual means. Some commentators defined this meat as miraculous because it did not come from a naturally-born animal. But do we consider any meat that does not come from a naturally-born animal to be “miracle meat”? Or does it need to come through an actual miracle? How about test-tube meat, which does come from actual animal cells? In this case the dictum that “no unfit thing descends from heaven” obviously would not apply. Here are some of the issues that will need to be explored:

● The Cells The scientist extracted the cells of a real animal and used them to grow the tissues in a Petri dish. If, and that is not a small if, the mere cells are considered substantial enough to be called meat, this may present a problem. In addition to the prohibition of eating a limb from a living animal,⁸ there is an additional injunction not to eat any meat that was severed from a live animal.⁹

This is an issue for non-Jews as well as Jews, since Noahide law dictates that non-Jews may not eat even a minute amount of meat that was separated from a living animal.¹ 

For Jews, if the cells are considered real meat, then presumably they would need to be extracted from a kosher animal that was slaughtered according to Jewish law.

Another consideration is that there is a halachik concept, “the product of non-kosher is itself not kosher, and the product of that which is kosher is itself kosher.”¹¹ While at first glance this would seem to imply that the cells need to come from a kosher source, it is not clear whether the above rule would apply to microscopic cells that were extracted from an animal.

● The Product In Jewish law, a food that contains only a minuscule amount of a non-kosher ingredient can still be considered kosher if the non-kosher ingredient is nullified (usually) by at least a factor of 60 to 1. At first glance it would appear that we can apply this rule to our scenario, since the original cells are greatly outnumbered by the “meat” produced. However, halachah states that the above rule does not apply to a “davar hama’amid,” an ingredient that establishes the form of the item. The essential ingredient can never be nullified, no matter how small it is.¹² It would seem that the same rule applies to the cells that are essential to growing the meat. If they don’t come from a kosher source, they can never be nullified, and whatever is created with them is also not kosher.

As noted earlier, these are just preliminary thoughts on the subject. Any halachik ruling would have to come from rabbis who are expert in these matters. (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2293219/jewish/Is-Lab-Grown-Meat-Kosher.htm)

 

Here’s a significant rabbi’s pesak halakha:

Israel's Chief Rabbi declares cultured meat kosher, opening doors for kosher consumers

In a historic move, Israel's chief rabbi David Lau has ruled that cultured meat, also known as lab-grown meat, is kosher fur, similar to any plant product.

By Milo Runkle

This decision, which was made in response to a request sent to Rabbi Lau regarding the production of cultured meat, its kosherness, and its halachic definition, marks a significant step forward for the industry.

Before issuing his opinion, Rabbi Lau took the time to thoroughly examine the cultured meat production process by touring a factory in Rehovot, hearing from the factory's management about the production procedures, and examining them himself.

In his halachic opinion, Rabbi Lau emphasized that his decision was based on the specific method of producing cultured meat from stem cells, which are produced by washing embryos, isolating stem cells from them, and planting and feeding them in a "vegetable" medium. This method of production, he stated, does not involve the use of meat from existing animals, making it halachically permissible.

This ruling is a huge win for the cultured meat industry, as it opens up a new market for kosher consumers. It is also a significant step forward in addressing the ethical and environmental concerns associated with traditional meat production.

The production of cultured meat has been a topic of debate in recent years, with many questioning its halachic definition and kosher status. But with this ruling, Rabbi Lau has provided a clear and decisive halachic decision on the matter, opening up new possibilities for the future of food production. (https://www.joyful.vc/blog/israels-chief-rabbi-declares-cultured-meat-kosher-opening-doors-for-kosher-consumers)